Tha Big 5-0

Vorlonagent hit 50 aroud 10:40 Pacific time.

That's 2 1/2 years of on and off play.

He was my first CoH character. (I have a character on the account of the
people who intro'd me to the game and he preceeds VA, but that doesn't
count).

I essentially picked electric/energy at random. I almost did the
stereotypical energy/energy. IMHO, electric/energy is an excellent fit,
better than energy/energy or electric/electric. Power Boost does such
wonderful things for Short Circuit and Thunderous Blast, to say nothing of
energy's own stunning melee attacks. Both sets have so many tricks and
powers you can exploit you have to remember you don't have all that many
straight-up "blast" powers. I couldn'thave gotten luckier.

He got levels 5-7 in Atlas part during the Council takeover of the 5th
Column. I remember shooting everything in sight and wondering who was
throwing those marvelous heals and endurance buffs. I didn't know how to
chain attacks. I was hugry for power, powers, powers. Then suddenly had
enough and became just as hungry for enhancement slots.

He was in his teens christmas 2004 when the Winter Lord first showed up. He
just got Flight. I remember the Hollows from the air as we went around
looking for WLs to beat up on. Unlike later year, it was always the giant
monster version spawning (along with little ones to go with him) and people
waiting to jump on them. Rolling Thunder got her start fighting winter
lords (a level 2-->14 jump) I remember being on a hunting team looking at
the Hollows from the air as we crisscrossed the landlooking for WLs and how
our leader (a 20) just picked up group fly and let us all try it out. I
went as far as level allowed through the hollows content and missed the
Fortune Teller mission. VA picked it back up on his 40s.

VA grew up with me. I made evey mistake imaginable with him. The friends
who introduced me to the game had horrible enhancemnt usage. I remember my
horror at 20 just after finally being pleased that I could fit him out with
band new level 20 TOs that I found out what DOs and SOs were for. And VA
was dead broke. That was hard crash.

His 20s were one long training montage of getting himself back into fighting
trim. I spent a lot of time in hunting in independence Port by the Steel
Canyon exit. He beat up lots of mobsters and council goons. I got good
ideas of what powers he wanted to keep and what to throw away. VA was too
late for the I3 respec and I4 was a long way off. I didn't know that free
respecs existed. I chewed into the way the game worked and devised a
marvelous "engine" for him. This was back when you could have perma haste.
Perma haste fed conserve power (both had 6 recharges) and VA had no end
worries,powers coming back super-fast and had Aim and Build Up almost always
available. But I4 did come and VA had to adjust. I still miss perma haste,
though I can see why it had to go. VA did the Striga Island content and I
heartily recommend Striga when you get into your 20s. Just so many good
temp powers there. VA still has some time on his wedding ring power though
his wolf whistle is long gone.

So his first respec was onhe earned fighting a respec trial I had to scrimp
for cash. When I was scrambling to get him level 30 SOs when he was 27, I
took advantage of the fact that I bought the account on E-bay and liqudated
all the enhancements on all the previous owner's characters and funneled it
all to VA.

In his mid-30s, he had to switch from primarily distance tactics to melee
tactics. Bosses were just too tough to fight when he was soloing, and I
soloed VA quite a bit. But a few teams got him through the time it took me
to figure out what to do. He still has nightmares of red council bossed
suddenly wolfing out and kicking his butt no matter what he did. Total Focus
made clumsy puppies out of them.. I just had to get out of the habit of
leading with a Zapp snipe. I had to come in with TF first thing.

His 40s were mostly teams. I think you almost had to team to beat the
endless array of AVs (EBs now) that get thrown at you. Still he waded
though them to get Portal Jockey. I remember starting on my badge hunting
trek at 42 and prowling Eden for Paragon protectors. they were gray and
green by that time, easy pickins. Later doing the same thing looking for
Fake nemesis.

True to form, I blew a of of his money fiddling with IOs before I know waht
I was doing. He earned his entire bankbook back this weekend.

Today he hit 50 fighting of all things...Malta. Malta...why did I ever
return to Malta? I never thought I'd be close to getting my Zeus titan
badge but even one more Malta mission with a group like that last one...


--
John Trauger,
Vorlonagent

"Methane martini.
Shaken, not stirred."

Vorlonagent (M), level 50 Blaster (Electric/Energy), Guardian
Fury- (F), Level 40 Brute (Energy/Energy), Liberty
Dr. Akagi (F), Level 39 Mastermind (Robots/Traps), Guardian
RolIing Thunder (F), Level 38 Defender (Storm/Electric), Infinity
Lemon Tree (F), Level 38 Scrapper (Spine/Invuln), Liberty
Pulsar Staraven (F), Level 33 Controller (Grav/Rad), Liberty

On 2007-06-18, Vorlonagent <nojtspam DeleteThis @otfresno.com> wrote:
> Vorlonagent hit 50 aroud 10:40 Pacific time.
>
> That's 2 1/2 years of on and off play.

Gratz!

> Today he hit 50 fighting of all things...Malta. Malta...why
> did I ever return to Malta? I never thought I'd be close to
> getting my Zeus titan badge but even one more Malta mission
> with a group like that last one...

I wish they had a scarier name. All those powers, and such a
mundane name.

--
Neil Cerutti